Thomas carney



(No Model.)

' T. GARN-EY.

CASH REGISTER. No. 606,188; Patented June 28, 1898..

A T TOR/V15 Y.

RTE YATES PATENT tries.

THOMAS OARNEY, OE DAYTON, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE NATIONAL CASH REGISTER COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

CASH=REGISTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 606,188, dated June 28, 1898.

Application filed February 23, 1897. Serial N0. 624,734. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS OARNEY, of Dayton, county of Montgomery, State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cash-Registers, of which the following is a description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a view showing in section a machine like that patented to me, No. 497,860, May 23, 1893, with my invention applied thereto. Fig. 2 shows a detached detail view of the parts comprising my invention.

The object of my invention primarily is to provide means for preventing the misuse of cash-registers and analogous devices. Owing to the prejudice on the part of employees when a cash-register is introduced into a business establishment it is subjected to the severest strains and trials in an effort to make it break down or add incorrectly. In these attempts a favorite procedure has been to grasp one of the keys and throw it violently down and up a number of times until the momentum of the heavy moving parts finally becomes suflicient to cause some of the said parts to either spring or buckle, with the result' that either the registering-wheels operate incorrectly or the mechanism becomes clogged and the machine will not operate at all. To prevent this by compelling the person operating the register to make his successive registrations with sufficient deliberation that the heavy moving parts may lose their momentum after one registration and before the succeeding registration is begun is the object of my invention.

Referring particularly to the drawings, the

letter A indicates various fixed parts of the frame of the machine, in which the key-shaft 13 is supported at its ends. The keys 0. are hung upon the key-shaft, their rear ends resting upon the base of the frame A in the usual manner. Extending across and cooperating with the keys is a universal bar or key-coupler D, which is shown and described in the patent to Boyer and Riggs, No. 422,287, dated February 25, 1890. The revolution-rack E is driven from the key-coupler and operates to drive the revolution-shaft F in the same direction, and the ratchet G and its cooperative pawl H prevent any backward movement of the said shaft. The indicator-rods I rest, respectively, upon the rear ends of their cooperative keys and at their upper ends carry the indicating-tablets J, while the'wing or back rod K cooperates with a series of shoulders L to retain the indicators of an operated key in exposed position; but the parts that I have described are allwell known inthe art and of themselves form no part of my invention. 1

The plate Mis fixed to one end of the keycoupler D and extends toward the front of the machine. At its forward end it is provided with a hook having a'rearwardly-inclined point or extremity 'm, and the vertical slot m is formed between the hook and the body of the plate, as shown in the drawings. The locking-bar N is pivoted at its upper end at n to a part of the fixed frame A of the machine. Nearits lower end it is provided with a stud a, which normally fits in the lower portion of the slot m in the plate M. The plate is also provided with a shoulder or corner m and the slot m. The stud n, the point m of the hook," and the shoulder m cooperate in a manner 'to be presently described.

In use my invention operates as follows: If one of the keys be operated, its rear end is raised, carrying up the key-coupler, which has its bearings in a fixed portion of the frame of the machine. As the key-coupler rises the plate M, being on the opposite side of its pivots d, is moved downward, causing the stud 'n to traverse the length of the slot m. On the return stroke of the key while the key-coupler is descending the inclined point m ofthe hook approaches the stud n and when the'k'ey has almost returned to normal position contacts therewith, throwing the stud around and under the shoulder m consequently causing the pivoted locking-bar N to be swung to the rear into the position shown by the broken lines in Fig. 1. The disposition of the weight of the locking-bar is such that after a very short space of time the bar will return to normal position, when the keys can be operated as before; but if it be at- 2 scenes tempted to operate one of the keys before the locking-bar has returned to normal positionwhen, for example, it is in the position shown by the broken lines in Fig. 1the stud being under the shoulder m of the plate will prevent the key-coupler being raised, and consequently the keys will be locked. It will readily be seen that my invention compels the person operating a register or other device to which my invention may be applied to permit a small space of time to elapse between successive aetuations of the keys, and during the time thus allowed the various moving parts of the register have ample time to recover from the momentum that mayhave been imparted to them or from the force of the rebound which is felt when the key is operated, owing to the elasticity of the parts of which the register is made.

My invention is extremely simple, but it has been found very effective in use. For purposes of illustration the plate has been shown as attached to a vibrating key-coupler; but in practice it might be attached to almost any moving part of the mechanism. For example, it might have been secured to the revolution rack E with equally good results, though of course in that event the pivot n of the locking-bar would have to be moved somewhat toward the rear, unless, indeed, the plate were made of greater length.

I believe that I am the first in the art to produce means for compelling deliberate operation of the keys, and as such I claim my invention broadly, not only in the connection and in the specific form shown in the drawing, but also in the many other connections and in the other forms in which it may be cmbodied.

llaving thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Iatcnt- 1. In a device of the class described, the combination with a key controlling a movable part, of means cooperating with the movable part to lock the key as each stroke thereof ceases and then, afterward, to automatically unlock said key.

2. In a device employing a series of keys controlling a movable part, the combination with said part, of cooperating means arranged to lock the keys as each stroke thereof ceases and then, afterward, to automatically unlock said keys while they remain at rest in normal position.

1-3. In a cashregister, the combination with a registering device comprising movable parts and a key arranged to actuate the register, of means cooperatin g with the movable parts to lock the key as each stroke thereof ceases, and

then, afterwari'l, to automatically unlock said. key.

In a device of the class described, the combination with an operating-key, of means arranged to lock said key at a certain period and then, afterward to automatically unlock the same again.

5. In a device of the class described, the combination with a plurality of operatingkeys and a movable member arranged to be operated by said keys and adapted to lock all of said keys at a certain period and then, after ward, to automatically unlock them again.

6. In a cash-register, the combination with a key controlling a movable part, of a vibratin g bar moved by the actuated key to temporarily loek all of the keys after the actuated key returns to normal position and to then automatically release said keys.

7. In a device of the class described the combination with a key controlling a moving part, of a slotted plate secured to the moving part and a locking-bar cooperating with said plate arranged to temporarily lock all the keys after one of them has been actuated and to afterward automatically release said keys.

8. In a device of the class described the combination with a key controlling a moving part, of a slotted plate carried by the moving part and a lockin bar having a stud arranged to cooperate with the slot in the plate for the purpose of temporarily locking said keys after one of them has been actuated and to afterward ai'itomatieally unlock said keys.

9. In a device of the class described, the combination with a key controlling amoving part, of a plate provided with a shoulder and a locking-bar arranged to cooperate with the said plate to temporarily lock said key after each actuation thereof.

10. In a device of the class described, the combination with a key controlling a moving part, of a plate provided with a shoulder and, carried by the moving part, and a locking-bar bearing a stud arranged to cooperate with the shoulder on the plate to lock the key, as described.

11. In a cash-register the combination with a series of keys cooperating with moving parts, of a lockingbar and a plate carried by the moving parts and arranged to throw the locking bar into position to lock the keys for an instant after the actuation of any of the keys and to then automatically unlock said keys; substantially as described.

TlIOillAS rlltli it 1".

Witnesses:

ALVA a illaea U LE v, Ina l3ERKH'IRIESSIGH. 

